An elderly woman in a wheelchair, along with her daughter and helper, had a harrowing experience at Changi Airport when they found themselves trapped in an aerobridge for about 16 minutes after returning from an overseas trip. According to Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, the incident was a result of the Cathay Pacific crew failing to notice them at the aerobridge.
As captured by user Michele Yap on Instagram, the group had just disembarked from Cathay Pacific flight CX657 from Hong Kong at Terminal 4. Despite their arrival, they were locked inside the aerobridge, with no help in sight as the doors remained closed. The frustrating situation escalated when a staff member accompanying them struggled to open the doors and faced difficulties while attempting to reach out to the airport police.
In a complaint shared by Ms. Yap, it was highlighted that the staff member took half an hour to seek assistance to free them. She criticized both the airline and the airport for their oversight in locking the doors before ensuring all passengers had disembarked, labeling it as an “unbelievable oversight.” The incident left her 81-year-old mother, who was in a wheelchair, in a traumatized state.
In response to the incident, Cathay Pacific issued an apology, acknowledging the distress caused, especially to the elderly woman. They assured that the matter was under investigation and promised to follow up with the affected party shortly.
As the matter was brought up in Parliament by Aljunied MP Gerald Giam, it was revealed that the airline crew failed to notice the trapped passengers waiting at the aerobridge, which led to the ground handling agents neglecting to conduct a thorough check before locking the door. Minister Chee emphasized that it is the responsibility of the airlines to guarantee the safe disembarkation of all passengers before securing the aerobridge door, in accordance with international industry practices.
The delayed response in unlocking the door was attributed to the failure of the staff member to call the Changi Airport Group (CAG) emergency hotline, causing the trapped passengers to endure the ordeal for approximately 16 minutes. Despite being compensated for the incident and receiving apologies from Cathay Pacific, the passengers were assured that measures were taken to improve coordination between the airline crew and ground staff to prevent such incidents from reoccurring.
